How to Make Mocha Chiffon Roll with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

There’s cake in the kitchen. Mocha chiffon cake all rolled up with mocha buttercream frosting, dusted on top with powdered sugar. Light chiffon cake rolled with the richness of buttercream.

There’s cake in the kitchen because there’s a new corgi in the house. Yes, that’s how we roll around here, no pun intended. Our family just got bigger. Kuya Stanford now has a little sister and I want you to meet her. Her name’s Mitzi.

Mitzi was a stray, a rescue from the Murray Animal Shelter in Murray, Utah, right outside Salt Lake City. I know, we traveled far to adopt her. We left on a Friday after work, drove across the Sierras, then spent the night in Elko, Nevada, in the middle of practically nowhere. We were back on the road first thing the following morning, crossed the Nevada-Utah State Line, and met Mitzi for the first time at the shelter in the afternoon. We headed back home, back to California, that same day with two red corgis in tow.

It’s been a month since we rescued Mitzi and she’s settling in nicely in her new home. She’s learning the lay of the land and doing impressively well with her potty training with fewer and fewer accidents each day. Stanford is slowly warming up to her. Our boy can be a little protective of his toys and treats but we’re confident they’ll get along.

The shelter says Mitzi is four or five but she may be younger judging by her inexhaustible energy. She’s our little firecracker. She runs around the house, around the yard, like there’s a herd of cattle to be corralled. Mitzi’s a little rough around the edges. She slobbers when she eats and drinks. There’s always a puddle around her water bowl during dinner. She burps, I kid you not! I’ve never heard a dog burp before. And she snores in her sleep! Not as loud as Dennis, thankfully. But Mitzi’s a darling. She’s our Eliza Doolittle. She’s our sweet little girl with big ears, and big, bright eyes. She’s our little sweetheart who deserves a second chance.

Mocha Chiffon Roll Recipe
Recipe adapted from The Best of the Maya Kitchen: The Complete Guide to Baking, makes 12 servings

Whisk flour, instant coffee, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Make a well at the center and add yolks, vanilla, water, and vegetable oil. Mix until batter is smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks stand straight up. Fold egg whites into batter until evenly incorporated. Pour into pan and bake until done, about ten minutes. The cake is done when it springs back after you lightly touch it with the tip of your finger.

Dust a clean, lint-free kitchen towel with powdered sugar. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert it onto the kitchen towel. Peel parchment paper and discard. Roll up the towel and the warm cake together, starting at one end and rolling to the opposite end of the towel. Find step-by-step instructions on how to make a cake roll here. Place the rolled cake and towel on a cooling rack and cool completely, about one hour.

Make the mocha buttercream frosting while waiting for the cake to cool. Stir instant coffee in milk. Set aside. Cream butter until fluffy. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, a tablespoon or two at a time, and beat gently until smooth and spreadable. If it becomes too wet, add powdered sugar. If it becomes too dry, add milk. Stir in vanilla.

Unroll the cake, leaving it on the towel. Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake. Roll the frosted cake, using the towel to lift and guide it. Dust the top with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.

Hi Jun! My daughter’s favorite treat from Goldilock’s is their mocha roll. This looks just like it. She’ll be so surprised when I make this for her. Thanks for the great recipes – I’ve made several and they’ve all turned out delicious!

MaryJo Catli Tobola

Mitzi is beautiful!! Your mocha cake roll is beautiful too!! I can’t wait to try this out. How about a Sans Rival recipe next ?? thanks Jun !!

Brenda K. Thom

What a sweetheart <3 Congratulations to all of you!

Anonymous

What a great post- I love that you celebrate all things in life with a cake! Mitzi looks happy in her new digs and I KNOW she is loved very much. Congratulations to all of you!

Anonymous

Sorry, hit ‘submit’ too soon. I also like this chiffon cake recipe- not as intimidating as others I’ve seen. Make a batter and then lightening it with the folded egg white is genius. Gotta try this!

Thank you, Vicki! It’s so much better than Goldilock’s, I tell you. I guess part of it is the satisfaction that making cake from scratch gives. I didn’t add frosting on top and sprinkled it with powdered sugar instead. I think frosting on top will make it too cloyingly sweet.

http://blog.junbelen.com/ Jun Belen

Thank you, MaryJo! Yes — I’m working on sans rival. I haven’t made it before so I’m excited to try it.

http://blog.junbelen.com/ Jun Belen

Thank you, Jean!

http://blog.junbelen.com/ Jun Belen

Samantha, the cake is very light — folding in the egg whites is genius, indeed.

err… if i make cupcakes out of this, oks naman din right?? and the frosting will be on top instead of as filling.. right??

http://blog.junbelen.com/ Jun Belen

Yes! You can absolutely make this chiffon cake recipe into cupcakes. Then top it with buttercream frosting.

http://blog.junbelen.com/ Jun Belen

Naku, apologies for the tardy reply. No need to dust both sides of the towel. Just the side where you lay the chiffon cake. If you roll the cake as soon as it gets out of the oven — you’ll be fine. It isn’t like the meringue for brazo de mercedes that gets easily torn. I’m really sorry for not replying any sooner. Did you make it last week?

Finally I found a perfect Mocha Chiffon Roll recipe and it’s not too sweet! I used Nestle La Lechera dulce de leche for the filling. I need practice for rolling it though! Thank you so much!

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Jun Belen is the voice behind IACP Best Culinary Blog nominee, Jun-blog, a mouthwatering and heartwarming journal of Filipino home cooking. The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) named Jun-blog a finalist for Best Culinary Blog in its 2013 Food Writing Awards. Jun-blog has been featured in the Diner’s Journal of the Food and Dining Section of The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philippines’ Food Magazine, and Australia’s Feast Magazine. The blog is a three-time finalist for Best Regional Cuisine Blog in Saveur Magazine’s Annual Best Food Blog Awards in 2013, 2012 and 2011. His work as photographer and blogger has been mentioned in Saveur Magazine’s “the Best of the Web”, Cooking Channel’s "Eat Street", Los Angeles’ KCRW Good Food, The Huffington Post's Kitchen Daily, San Francisco’s Inside Scoop, San Francisco’s SF Weekly, and food sites like Chow Gojee, Gourmet Live, Foodista, Food News Journal, and the Kitchn.

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